Childcare Business Support

The Childcare Strategy Service can signpost to support and expertise relevant to childcare providers on a range of business support including looking at the financial sustainability of the setting, budgeting, cash flow forecasting, marketing, writing a business plan, setting up a childcare business, choosing a legal structure, fundraising, finance and applying for grants.

Tools and resources to support settings and individual childcare providers

Staff Cost Calculator - Determine the most effective methods of deploying staff based on staff numbers and occupancy levels. Achieve optimum capacity, value for money and a stretched offer for working parents.

York Cares Enterprise Hub Skills Share

The Enterprise Hub enables employers to share their businesses expertise with voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to help them become more sustainable.

The Skills Share is a chance for voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to benefit from short-term business support to help shape their organisational planning, test ideas and get a business perspective on their challenges. The types of issues that could be tackled or project work that could be undertaken include developing business plans, marketing strategies, financial planning, preparing an organisation for tendering opportunities or developing products and services.

PACEY launches new business resource for childminders

The Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) has launched a new business toolkit to support the sustainability of new and established childminding settings.

The free online resource, Business Smart, has been developed by childminders for childminders. It has been produced in association with Lloyds Bank, who have shared their toolkits and small business expertise to help PACEY develop this valuable tool. Funding for the toolkit has been provided by a grant from the Department for Education.

Business Smart will help new childminders gain the business skills, knowledge and confidence they need to build up their childcare and early years businesses. It is also full of advice and support for established childminding settings to help them review their business sustainability. As part of this, childminders will be able to consider whether offering the early years entitlement is viable for them - all in one easy-to-use website. It is an invaluable resource to support all childminders - at whatever stage of their career - to consider how to grow their much needed services.

Childcare Works

The Department for Education (DfE) awarded a two-year national support contract to Childcare Works in October 2016. The project is to work with providers and local authorities on the implementation of the extended entitlement to 30-hours of free childcare for working parents.

Childcare Works is a partnership brought together to meet the challenge of enabling the delivery of childcare for two- three- and four-year-olds that is high-quality, accessible, flexible and affordable.

Starting up a childcare business

Practical help, guides, resources, tips and ideas for all small businesses based in the UK:

Staff employment

The advice contained on the ACAS website http://www.acas.org.uk is designed to give impartial advice on employment matters to employers, employees and their representatives. You can find templates for letters, forms and checklist, employment law updates and free online tools designed to help organisations check that they have the right people management policies in place.

Preparing for auto-enrolment pensions

Between now and 2018, every employer in the UK will need to have a qualifying workplace pension scheme in place and start enrolling eligible workers into that scheme.

Other support

National Day Nurseries Association is the national charity and membership association for nurseries. NDNA provides nursery support, information and advice, childcare training and a quality improvement scheme, e-Quality Counts.

The Pre-school Learning Alliance is the largest early years membership organisation and voluntary sector provider of quality affordable childcare and education in England.

PACEY is the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years. A standard-setting organization, they promote best practice and support childcare professionals to deliver high standards of care and learning.